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Everyone knows you can't load precision ammo on a progressive press

TimK

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 13, 2010
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Woodland Park, CO
www.timkulincabinetry.com
Right? I hate loading, so I decided to try anyway. I just bought a new JP to use in the carbine role at team matches. Behind it is its predecessor, a gun I put together with a White Oak barrel.

10ggpcm.jpg


After reading JP's loading document, I decided to try TAC and 77 SMKs. I did exhaustive development, like to the tune of 200 rounds. I did all this measuring powder to the nearest 0.02 grains on a lab scale. I found a nice wide node that's about 0.5g wide. Incidentally, I ran a seating depth test at the beginning and found the gun likes 0.020" shorter than mag length. Surprising.

My final load is 23.5g of TAC, 77g SMK, CCI 450 SRM primers in Prime brass. Velocity out of the 20" JP was 2725fps, right where it should be. With the precisely measured charges, I saw SD = 11. It shot a little better than 1/2 minute.

The final step was to try it in my Dillon 650. With TAC, I was seeing a total spread in charge weight of only 0.08g. Promising. SD's on that ammo were more like 15, accuracy was still 1/2 minute.

As you can image, I was pretty stoked to find a load I can run at 500+ rounds an hour vs 50 rounds an hour individually weighing.

On a whim, I decided to try this load in the old rifle. How sweet would it be if it show well in that one, too?

Here's a group with the JP, the rifle I used for all the development.
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Here's a group with the White Oak barreled home build.
2h6soww.jpg


Amazing! One load that shoots 1/2 minute in two different rifles. Loading it at 500 rounds an hour? Too good to be true. I have two more rifles to try this in. I'll let you know what I see when I test them.
 
Yep, find a wide node, polish up your powder dispenser and let 'er rip. I get half moa with my XL650 run .308's and never any better with that gun - even carefully loading one at a time - so I just quit that. Had 2 guns that would shoot the same load well at one time but sold one of them. Still kinda regret that...
 
Stock so far. I just ordered a baffle that's supposed to improve performance, but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm reluctant to mess with it too much since it's pretty darn good as-is. I'm open to all ideas, though.

I'm with you on being reluctant to make any changes. With groups like your getting I wouldn't change a thing. I think the old adage "if its not broken don't fix it" applies here.
 
You are pretty close to making MK262, velocity is 2750 from a 20 inch barrel. I shoot with a High Master who makes his 200 and 300 yard ammo fully progressive. He weighs for 600 but uses the same Dillon 650 to make his ammo.